| The Little Mermaid | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jun Falkenstein |
| Produced by | Steve O'Brien |
| Written by | Jun Falkenstein Paul Dini |
| Based on | Disney's The Little Mermaid by John Musker Ron Clements and The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen |
| Starring | Chloë Grace Moretz Elijah Wood Tiffany Haddish Keegan-Michael Key William Troy Ford Bill Hader J. K. Simmons |
| Music by | Alan Menken |
| Edited by | James Ryan |
| Production companies |
Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Wonder Studios |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Pictures Motion Pictures |
| Release date | September 25, 2026 |
| Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $90 million |
| Box office | $799 million |
The Little Mermaid is a 2026 American computer-animated musical fantasy romantic comedy film produced by Walt Disney Wonder Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. A CGI remake of Disney's 1989 traditionally-animated film of the same name, the 32nd CGI remake of a Disney classic, and the 22nd one released theatrically, the film was directed by Jun Falkenstein from a screenplay penned by him and Paul Dini, and features the voices of Chloë Grace Moretz, Elijah Wood, Tiffany Haddish, Keegan-Michael Key, William Troy Ford, Bill Hader, and J. K. Simmons.
The Little Mermaid saw a theatrical release on September 25, 2026, receiving generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the animation, music, voice acting, and faithfulness to the original film. It has grossed $799 million worldwide against a $90 million budget.
Plot[]
Ariel is a 16-year-old mermaid princess unsatisfied with underwater life in the underwater kingdom of Atlantic. She is fascinated by the human world, wanting desperately to become a human and live on land. With the help of her best friend Flounder, Ariel collects and often keeps random human artifacts in her grotto and consults a seagull named Scuttle for inaccurate knowledge about human culture and the items she finds. Ariel's father, King Triton, and a crab who serves as his advisor/court composer named Sebastian, frequently warn Ariel that contact between merpeople and humans is forbidden.
One night, Ariel, Flounder, and an unwilling Sebastian travel to the ocean surface to watch a celebration for Prince Eric's birthday on a ship. Ariel falls in love with the prince instantly. Soon a violent storm arrives, wrecking the ship. Ariel rescues Eric from drowning and brings him to shore. She sings to him but returns to the sea just as he regains consciousness to avoid being discovered. Fascinated, Eric vows to marry the girl who saved his life, while Ariel vows to find a way to join the human world. Discovering Ariel's new behavior, Triton questions Sebastian, who inadvertently exposes Ariel's experiences. Ariel's grotto is uncovered when Triton confronts Ariel, and, in a misguided final attempt to protect Ariel from the dangers of the human world, destroys the treasures.
Two eels named Flotsam and Jetsam convince a distraught Ariel to visit the evil sea witch Ursula. Ursula and Ariel reach an agreement: Ursula gives Ariel three days as a human in exchange for her voice under the disastrous condition that Ariel will turn back into a human and belong to Ursula if she fails to kiss Eric before sunset on the third day. Ariel accepts and is turned into a human. Eric finds Ariel on the shore, but is unaware that she saved him due to the loss of her voice. Ariel spends time with Eric and almost kisses him on the second day, only to be subdued by Flotsam and Jetsam. To ensure Ariel's failure, Ursula turns herself into a human named Vanessa and appears on the shore, singing with Ariel's voice and casting an enchantment on Eric. Eric, enchanted, announces he will marry Vanessa, leaving Ariel heartbroken.
Scuttle discovers Vanessa is Ursula in disguise and informs Ariel, who immediately pursues the wedding ship with Flounder's help after hearing the news. Sebastian informs Triton of everything and Scuttle enlists the help of several sea creatures to intercept the wedding. In the scuffle, the shell around Ursula's neck is shattered, breaking the enchantment on Eric and returning Ariel's voice. Finally realizing Ariel is the girl who rescued him from the shipwreck, Eric and Ariel embrace, but they are too late to kiss. The sun sets and Ariel turns back into a mermaid. Ursula reverts to her true form and abducts Ariel. Triton confronts Ursula and demands Ariel's release, but, because the deal is inviolable, agrees to take his daughter's place as Ursula's slave and is turned into a polyp, losing his authority over Atlantica. Ursula declares herself the new ruler. Eric dives in the sea and stops her with a harpoon. Ursula tries to kill Eric, but Ariel intervenes, resulting in the deaths of Flotsam and Jetsam. Enraged, Ursula grows into a monster and emerges from the water. She then creates a storm and pulls huge sunken ships from the bottom to the surface. Eric steers one of the ships towards Ursula with its splintered bowsprit, impaling and instantly killing her.
With Ursula dead, Triton and the other polyps in Ursula's garden revert to their original state. Realizing Ariel truly loves Eric, Triton willingly changes her from a mermaid into a human permanently and accepts their marriage. Ariel and Eric marry on a wedding ship and depart.
Cast[]
- Chloë Grace Moretz as Ariel
- Elijah Wood as Prince Eric
- Tiffany Haddish as Ursula
- Keegan-Michael Key as Sebastian
- William Troy Ford as Flounder
- Bill Hader as Scuttle
- J. K. Simmons as King Triton
- Mads Mikkelsen as Grimsby
- J. Lee as Flotsam and Jetsam
- Candi Milo as Carlotta the maid
- Dee Bradley Baker as Harold the seahorse
- Michael Sintemiklaas as Chef Louis
- Jessica DiCicco as Aquata
- Tara Strong as Andrina, Arista, and Attina
- Grey DeLisle as Adella and Alana
Reception[]
Box office[]
In the United States and Canada, The Little Mermaid was projected to gross $150 million in its opening weekend. The film left theaters on January 27, 2027, grossing $370 million in North America and $429 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $799 million, against a $90 million budget.
Critical response[]
The Little Mermaid received praise from critics and audiences upon release. On the site Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 94% approval rating based on 234 reviews. The consensus reads, "A beautifully animated retelling of the classic Disney tale, The Little Mermaid recaptures the spirit of the source material". On Metacritic, the film has a score of 77 out of 100 based on 45 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.